The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-06-23

waves, the water will boil dnd foam all
around it. Brave soldiers of Jes,s Christ
will hear the carbines click. When I see
man with voice, and money, and influence
all on the right side, ind some caricature
lin, and some sneer at him, ana scn,e de-
lounce HIM, and men who pretend to be act
lated by right motives consplre to cripple
him, to cast him out, to destroy him, say:
Stephen ston6d.n When ! see man in
some great moral or religious reform battling
against grog-shops, exposing wickedness iIi
high places, by active means trying to purify
the Church and better the worlds es-
tate, and l find that the newspapers
him, and men, even good men,
oppose him, and denounce him, because,
though he does good, he does not do it in
their way, l say: "Stephcn stoned The
world, with infinite spite, took after John
Frederick Oberlin, and Robert Moffat, and
Paul, and Stephen of the text. But you
netiee my friends that while they assaulted
him they did not sllcceed feally III killing
him. You may assault good man, but ydl
cannot kill him. On the day of his death,
Stephen spoke before few people in the San
hedrim; this Sabbath morning he addresses
all Christendom. Paul the Apostle stood
on Mars Hill addressing handful of
philosophers who knew, not so much about
science as modern school girl. To-day he
about the wonders of justification and the
glories of resurrection, John Wesley was
hdwled dowii by tile mob TO whom he preached
and they threw bricks at him, and they de-
nounced him, and they jostled him and they
spat upon him, and yet to-day, in all lands, he
is admitted to be the great father of Method
ism. Booths bullet vacated the Presidential
chair; but from that spot of coagulated blood
On the foor i'll the bex Of Ford,s Theatre,
there sprang up the new life Of nation
Stephen stoned; but Stephen alive
Pass on now, and see Stephen in his dying
prayer His first thought was not how the
stones hurt his head, nor what would become
of his body. His first thought was about his
spirit. Lord Jesus receive my spirit. Inc
murderer standing on the trap-door, the black
cap being drawn over his head before the ex-
ecutiOn, may grimace about the future; but
you and | have TO shame i'll confessihg some
anxiety about where we are going to come out.
You are notall body. Ther6is within you soul.
| see it CLEAN from your eyes to-day, all
see it irradiating your countenance. Some
times | am abashed before an audience,
not because | come under your physical eye
sight, but because | realize the truth that
stand before SO many immortal spirits. The
probability is that your body will at last find
sepulture IN some Of the cemeteries that
surround this city. There is no doubt but
that your obsequies will be decent and re-
spectfll, and you will be able to pillow your
head under the maple, or the Norway spruce,
or the cypress, or the bloSsoming fir; but this
spirit about which Stephen prayed, what di-
rection will that take} What guide will es-
cOrt it! What gate will open to receive
it: What cloud will be cleft for its pathways
After it has got beyond the light of our sun,
will there be torches lighted for the rest of
of the way! viii the soul have to travel
through long deserts before it reaches the
good land? If we should lose our pathway,
will there be a castle at whose gate we may
ask the way TO the city; o, this mysterious
spirit within us? 1t has two wings, but it is
in cage now. 1t is locked fast to keep
it: but let the door of this cage open the least,
and that soul is off. Eagles wing could not
catch it. When the soul leaves the body it
takes fifty worlds at a bound And have |
no anxiety about it: Have you no anxiety
about it! | do not care what you do with my
body when my soul is gone, or whether yon
believe in cremation or Inflammation.
shall sleep just as well i'll wrapping
of sackcloth as in satin lined
with eagles down. But my soul-before |
leave this house this morning | will find out
where it is going to land, Thank God for the
intimation of my text, that when we die
Jesus takes us. That answers all questions
for me. What though there were massive
bars between here and the city of light, Jesus
could remove them. What though there were
great Saharas of darkness, Jesus could
illume them. What though | get weary
on the way, Christ could lift me on His
omnipotent shoulder. What though there
were chasms to cross. His hand could
transport me. Then let Stephens prayer be
my dying litany: lord Jesus, receive my
spirit Itmay be in that hour we shall be
too feeble to say long prayer. 1t may be in
that hour We will not be able to say the
g Lords Prayer" for it has seven petitions.
Perhaps we may be too feeble even to say the
infant prayer our mothers taught lis, which
John Quincy Adams, seventy years of age,
said every night when he put his head upon
his pillow
Now lay me down to sleep,
pray the Lord my soul to keep"
We may be too feeble to employ either of
these familiar forms; but this prayer of Ste
;Jhen is so Short is concise, is SO earnest, is
so comprehensive, we surely will be able to
say that: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" :"
o, if that prayer is answered, how sweet it
will be to die! This world is clever enough
to us. Perhaps it has treated us great deal
better than we deserved to be treated; !;
but if on the dying pillow there shall
break the light of that better world, we shall
have no more regret about leaving small,
dark, damp house for one large, beautiful,
and capacious. That dying minister in Phil
adelphia, some years ago, beautifully depicted
it when, in the last moment, he threw up his
hands and cried out: 81 move into the lightn'
Pass on now and will show one more
picture, and that is Stephen asleep. With a
pathos and simplicity peculiar to the Script
ures the text says of Stephen; HE fell
asleep" "O," YOU say, "what a place that
was to sleep! A hard rock under him, stones
falling down upon him, the blood streaming.
tao mob howliry. WHAT place it was to
sleepr' And yet my text takes that symbol
of sumber to describe his departure, SO
sweet was it. so contonttd was it, SO
peaceful! was it, Stephen had lived
a very laborious life. II chef work
had been to care fer the poor. How many
bare feet he had sandaled, how many cots OF
sickness and distress he blessed with minis
tres Of kindness and love, | do not know
but from the way he lived, and the way he
preached, and the way he died, know he
was a laborious Christian But that
is all over now. Fl, has pressed
the cup to the last fainting lip. He
The last stone to whose crushing weight he i
susceptible has been hurled. Stephen is dead
The disciples come They take him up. They
wash away the blood from the wounds. They
straiglten out the bruised limbs. They brush
back the tangled hair from the brow, and
then they pass around to lock upon the
calm countenance of him who had lived
for the poor and died for the truth Stepher
asleepl have seen the sea driven with thC
hurricane until the tangled foam caughtin the
rigging, and wave rising above wave seemed
as if about to storm the heavens, and then
have seen the tempest drop, and the wave;
crouch, and everything become smooth ano
FURNISHED as though camping place Tor ths
glories of heaven. SO | have seen man
whose life has been tossed AMI driven, coming
down at last to an infinite calm, in which
there was the hush of heavens lullaby. StepheI
asleep! j saw such an one. He fought al
his days against poverty and against abuse
| They traduced his name. They ratified at tnt
door knob while he was dying, with duns fol
debts he could not pay; yet the peace of Goc
| brooded over his pillow, and while the worlt
faded, heaven dawHed. and the deepening
twilight of earth's night was only the opening
twilight of heavens morn. Not sigh. NoI
a tear. Not a struggle. Hush! StepheI
qsleepl
/ have not the faculty to tell the weather
can never tell by the setting sun whether
there viii be a drought or not. | cannot tell
by the blowing OF the, wind whether it vii
be fair weather or foul weather on the NOR
row But | can prOphesy, and | vii
prophesy what weather it will be whel
YOU. the Christian. come to die. You maj
have it very rough now. II may ID
this week one annoyance. the next aIothe
annoyanee 1t may be this year one bereaye
ment. the ue1t another bereayg ment Befor
this year has passed you may have TO beg fo
breal. or ask foI. Il seuttle of coal, or pair o
| shoes. hut srr,.ad fouT death couch amid tn